


let's make freedom our favorite place

by wonderlandz



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Circa 2017, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 11:40:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandz/pseuds/wonderlandz
Summary: max, daniel, and a road trip to the grand canyon.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	let's make freedom our favorite place

**Author's Note:**

> austin, tx and the grand canyon are 17 hours apart but let's all pretend america isnt fucking huge and they can get there in around 2 hours thank you.
> 
> title from runaway by khalid.

“this is stupid, mate.”

“no, it’s not! it's romantic and spontaneous!”

max glances up at the rental car sign and then back at daniel where they're standing in the parking lot, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

“okay, this part isn’t romantic and spontaneous. like, the actual trip is. just have a little faith, max.”

daniel tugs on max’s arm, forcing him to follow him into the building, which he does begrudgingly. it is nice inside, though, air conditioned and away from the blazing texas afternoon sun. max sulks over to one of the plushy arm chairs and throws himself down, letting daniel take the lead on getting them a car since this was his idea, after all.

he has been perfectly content on his motorhome, scrolling on his laptop and letting a football match play in the background, when daniel shot up from the couch and told him to pack a bag because they were taking a road trip. max whined and protested as much as he could, and yet here they were, renting a car so they could take a ‘proper american road trip.’ 

people often said max is the more stubborn of the two of them, but when daniel gets his head into an idea, that is the end of it. max has spent many days so far on this couple race weeks doing stupid ‘american’ things he has absolute no interest in, simply because daniel wanted to and there was no convincing him otherwise.

about 20 minutes after their arrival, daniel drags max back outside into the heat to get ‘their’ car, a sleek, black sporty-looking honda that max doesn't hate, but will never admit. they put their bags in the back and get in the car, spending at least five minutes just letting daniel accustomed to the new ride.

“don't tell me you forgot how to drive a road car. are we gonna die?” max laughs, putting his head in his hands dramatically and shoving daniel with his elbow.

daniel pokes his shoulder and ruffles his own messy curls.

“so, where are we going?” max asks as they exit the parking lot.

instead of answering, daniel shakes his head and mimes locking his mouth with a pretend key. max rolls his eyes, but feels his lips twitch upward in a smile anyway.

“you're really sticking to this secret thing, no?”

daniel nods again, so max sighs dramatically and focuses on learning how to connect his phone to the bluetooth system so he can play music.

they stop at a gas station before the freeway to get snacks (“you can’t go on a road trip without snacks, maxy boy,” he says), and return to the car, each holding a bag bulging with american junk food.

“are you hyped now?” daniel asks, his cheeks pink from the sun, but maybe from excitement, too.

“only ‘cause they had doritos,” max says, stuffing a few into his mouth.

“don't have too many of those,” daniel shakes his head but smiles, starting the car back up. he fiddles with the gps, not letting max see the screen, still adamant that he needs to keep their destination a secret. daniel eases their way back onto the road, and soon they're speeding towards their destination.

max tries to chose his playlist as their road trip soundtrack, but daniel gives him a side-eyed glance, not needing any words to show his disapproval. max frowns and groans, but changes it to one of daniel’s road-trip playlists, and daniel nods softly in acceptance. max leans his head against the window and lets his thoughts wonder.

it has been a long few days, a long few months really, but the last few days especially. he was coming out of a bad couple of races, and it always left him feeling just a bit off, like eating something bitter and having the aftertaste in your mouth for days after. his energy levels hadn’t returned yet, and he was still a bit moody, but being so far away from home didn’t give him the option to take the time he wanted to just recover from it; to hide away for a day or two and sleep. he had training and pr events and interviews, and when they didn’t have those, daniel was forcing him to go out with him.

max logically knows that he can always tell daniel that he isn't up to doing something at any given time, and daniel will just lay with him in bed or on the couch and pet his hair while he rests, or leave him be if that's what he wants, but the thought of daniel having to miss out on their limited experiences here because of him made guilt burn deep in his belly. he would push himself to get out of his cave and look at buildings all day, as long as he got to do it with daniel and see that dumb smile on his face.

daniel seems to sense that he was thinking a little too hard and reaches over to place his hand on max’s thigh, just a gentle reassuring touch, making max’s throat burn a little with emotion. he threads his fingers with daniel’s and continues to look out the window, not trusting himself to make eye contact right now; he doesn't want to ruin their trip with tears.

when a sign appears in front of them that reads: “grand canyon 20 miles ahead!” max can hear daniel curse under his breath, making an unexpected giggle burst from his lips.

“did you really not expect them to have road signs for one of the biggest geological attractions in america?” max asks, a little breathless from laughter.

daniel frowns. “i just forgot about them, okay? but that’s the surprise: we’re going to the grand canyon!"

“that was your big surprise?”

“yeah! what's wrong with that? grand canyon at night baby!”

for the first time in a while, max takes notice of the sky. it is nearing sunset, and he's willing to bet that by the time they arrive, the sun will be setting over the grand canyon. he feels the tears well up again and doesn't bother trying to keep them from daniel this time. he squeezes daniel’s hand and brings it to his lips, giving it a small kiss, and daniel smiles gently at him before quickly returning his eyes to the road. max’s heart thuds warm and heavy in his chest, so full of love it feels like it might burst.

they pull into the park and get their tickets just in time, walking down a short path and sitting on a rock barely wide enough to fit them both to watch the sun set. max has seen a lot of beautiful things in his life, but they are temporarily washed away by what is in front of him. it isn't even the sunset or the grand canyon, both of which were stunning together and on their own, but rather what they represent: a spontaneous and romantic idea by the man he loves, a bit of time together, just the two of them, when that has been so rare lately.

he glances over and daniel’s looking at him, making that warm feeling return to his chest. he reaches over and threads their fingers together, scooting closer so they are pressed together on the rock. it's a risk, they both know that, but max can't really bring himself to care. they has been hiding themselves for so long, and he just can't today.

he wants to enjoy this moment, and the person he loves, without any barriers and any pretense. he feels daniel lean in close to him and rest his head on max’s shoulder, and he smiles. the sunset isn't long, but they sat there for a few extra minutes and enjoyed being close to each other in this new brave way for a little while longer.

they use the lights on their phones to make their way back up the path, and daniel leads them to a small cabin at the other end of the park, secluded away from the rest of and all theirs for the night, according to the keys in daniel’s hands. it is their first real taste of privacy since they left home. 

they didn’t have to worry about someone on the other side of a hotel wall hearing them, or other drivers on the paddock, so that night when they get under the covers and daniel presses into him, max moans and yells at the top of his lungs, letting out as much noise as he can as daniel’s lips press to his ear, telling him how beautiful he is and how much he loves his noises, just spurring him on. it's beautiful and exhilarating, and when they’re finished and lay tangled together, max feels way calmer than he has in months.

daniel presses kisses to his face early the next morning, whispering to him quietly that they have to get up and hurry back so they could make it back to the track in time for practice. 

max groans a little, but gets up without too much fuss, and they pack their bags and loads into the car. daniel drives 20 miles out of their way to find a starbucks and max teases him mercilessly, but still gets a drink of his own, since it wasn’t his caffeine addiction that was being discussed. they merge onto the freeway, quiet instrumental music playing on the sound system and their drinks in hand.

max knows this trip hadn’t really fixed anything. he can still feel the lingering bits of fog in his mind, but they also felt easier to ignore today. knowing he has someone who still wanted to be there with him on his bad days, when he was moody and closed off, made things easier. knowing that that person would plan something for them, just so he could get out of his mind a little bit because he knew he was having a bad day, made things a little less miserable. there were always going to be bad races, and there was always going to be stress, but if he knew anything, he knew there was always going to be daniel, too, and that makes those bad days easier to bare.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment if u want :)


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